What is the Holocaust, or what was the Holocaust?
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I am writing a piece of history coursework about the Holocaust. One of the section titles is What is the Holocaust, or What was the Holocaust? Could somebody please confirm which of these two is grammatically correct? Much appreciated...
tenses backshifting
edited 5 hours ago
Laurel
29.2k654104
asked 5 hours ago
Edith Annabel
11
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Edith Annabel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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I am writing a piece of history coursework about the Holocaust. One of the section titles is What is the Holocaust, or What was the Holocaust? Could somebody please confirm which of these two is grammatically correct? Much appreciated...
tenses backshifting
edited 5 hours ago
Laurel
29.2k654104
asked 5 hours ago
Edith Annabel
11
New contributor
Edith Annabel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Both are grammatically correct but "was" is semantically better. Either way, how is your Question not about your homework and even then, what did your dictionaries and search engines leave unclear?
– Robbie Goodwin
3 hours ago
'What is the Holocaust ?' asks what does the word mean. 'What was the Holocaust ?' asks for details about the historical events surrounding its occurrence.
– Nigel J
3 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
I am writing a piece of history coursework about the Holocaust. One of the section titles is What is the Holocaust, or What was the Holocaust? Could somebody please confirm which of these two is grammatically correct? Much appreciated...
tenses backshifting
edited 5 hours ago
Laurel
29.2k654104
asked 5 hours ago
Edith Annabel
11
New contributor
Edith Annabel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I am writing a piece of history coursework about the Holocaust. One of the section titles is What is the Holocaust, or What was the Holocaust? Could somebody please confirm which of these two is grammatically correct? Much appreciated...
tenses backshifting
tenses backshifting
edited 5 hours ago
Laurel
29.2k654104
asked 5 hours ago
Edith Annabel
11
New contributor
Edith Annabel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 5 hours ago
Laurel
29.2k654104
asked 5 hours ago
Edith Annabel
11
New contributor
Edith Annabel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 5 hours ago
Laurel
29.2k654104
edited 5 hours ago
Laurel
29.2k654104
edited 5 hours ago
Laurel
29.2k654104
29.2k654104
asked 5 hours ago
Edith Annabel
11
New contributor
Edith Annabel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 5 hours ago
Edith Annabel
11
asked 5 hours ago
Edith Annabel
11
11
New contributor
Edith Annabel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Edith Annabel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Edith Annabel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Both are grammatically correct but "was" is semantically better. Either way, how is your Question not about your homework and even then, what did your dictionaries and search engines leave unclear?
– Robbie Goodwin
3 hours ago
'What is the Holocaust ?' asks what does the word mean. 'What was the Holocaust ?' asks for details about the historical events surrounding its occurrence.
– Nigel J
3 mins ago
add a comment |
1
Both are grammatically correct but "was" is semantically better. Either way, how is your Question not about your homework and even then, what did your dictionaries and search engines leave unclear?
– Robbie Goodwin
3 hours ago
'What is the Holocaust ?' asks what does the word mean. 'What was the Holocaust ?' asks for details about the historical events surrounding its occurrence.
– Nigel J
3 mins ago
1
1
Both are grammatically correct but "was" is semantically better. Either way, how is your Question not about your homework and even then, what did your dictionaries and search engines leave unclear?
– Robbie Goodwin
3 hours ago
Both are grammatically correct but "was" is semantically better. Either way, how is your Question not about your homework and even then, what did your dictionaries and search engines leave unclear?
– Robbie Goodwin
3 hours ago
'What is the Holocaust ?' asks what does the word mean. 'What was the Holocaust ?' asks for details about the historical events surrounding its occurrence.
– Nigel J
3 mins ago
'What is the Holocaust ?' asks what does the word mean. 'What was the Holocaust ?' asks for details about the historical events surrounding its occurrence.
– Nigel J
3 mins ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
0
down vote
I tend to agree with Robbie. The Holocaust is an event that occurred in the past so "was" seems most appropriate. Using "is" would also be well understood since the Holocaust is an historical event.
answered 3 hours ago
user297954
192
add a comment |
up vote
-3
down vote
"What was the Holocaust" is correct.
When 'Holocaust' refers to the specific time in history when Germany murdered > 6M Jews, it is considered a proper name and should always be capitalized.
That being said, since it is a proper name, referring to a specific event in history, "What was the Holocaust" is the correct form.
Reference:
From The Diversity Style Guide:
Holocaust
Always capitalize when referring to the murder of 6 million Jews and others during World War II. Lowercase in other uses.
answered 4 hours ago
MrWonderful
989414
5
The question wasn't about capitalization. It's about which tense should be used ("is" vs. "was"), aka backshifting.
– Laurel
4 hours ago
2
Of the examples given of this sense of the word "holocaust" in the Oxford English Dictionary, in only about half of them is the word capitalised as a proper noun. For example: 1972 F. Forsyth Odessa File 306 The mausoleum of Yad Vashem,..the shrine to six million of his fellow Jews who died in the holocaust
– WS2
3 hours ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
0
down vote
I tend to agree with Robbie. The Holocaust is an event that occurred in the past so "was" seems most appropriate. Using "is" would also be well understood since the Holocaust is an historical event.
answered 3 hours ago
user297954
192
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I tend to agree with Robbie. The Holocaust is an event that occurred in the past so "was" seems most appropriate. Using "is" would also be well understood since the Holocaust is an historical event.
answered 3 hours ago
user297954
192
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
I tend to agree with Robbie. The Holocaust is an event that occurred in the past so "was" seems most appropriate. Using "is" would also be well understood since the Holocaust is an historical event.
answered 3 hours ago
user297954
192
I tend to agree with Robbie. The Holocaust is an event that occurred in the past so "was" seems most appropriate. Using "is" would also be well understood since the Holocaust is an historical event.
answered 3 hours ago
user297954
192
answered 3 hours ago
user297954
192
answered 3 hours ago
user297954
192
answered 3 hours ago
user297954
192
192
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
-3
down vote
"What was the Holocaust" is correct.
When 'Holocaust' refers to the specific time in history when Germany murdered > 6M Jews, it is considered a proper name and should always be capitalized.
That being said, since it is a proper name, referring to a specific event in history, "What was the Holocaust" is the correct form.
Reference:
From The Diversity Style Guide:
Holocaust
Always capitalize when referring to the murder of 6 million Jews and others during World War II. Lowercase in other uses.
answered 4 hours ago
MrWonderful
989414
5
The question wasn't about capitalization. It's about which tense should be used ("is" vs. "was"), aka backshifting.
– Laurel
4 hours ago
2
Of the examples given of this sense of the word "holocaust" in the Oxford English Dictionary, in only about half of them is the word capitalised as a proper noun. For example: 1972 F. Forsyth Odessa File 306 The mausoleum of Yad Vashem,..the shrine to six million of his fellow Jews who died in the holocaust
– WS2
3 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
-3
down vote
"What was the Holocaust" is correct.
When 'Holocaust' refers to the specific time in history when Germany murdered > 6M Jews, it is considered a proper name and should always be capitalized.
That being said, since it is a proper name, referring to a specific event in history, "What was the Holocaust" is the correct form.
Reference:
From The Diversity Style Guide:
Holocaust
Always capitalize when referring to the murder of 6 million Jews and others during World War II. Lowercase in other uses.
answered 4 hours ago
MrWonderful
989414
5
The question wasn't about capitalization. It's about which tense should be used ("is" vs. "was"), aka backshifting.
– Laurel
4 hours ago
2
Of the examples given of this sense of the word "holocaust" in the Oxford English Dictionary, in only about half of them is the word capitalised as a proper noun. For example: 1972 F. Forsyth Odessa File 306 The mausoleum of Yad Vashem,..the shrine to six million of his fellow Jews who died in the holocaust
– WS2
3 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
-3
down vote
up vote
-3
down vote
"What was the Holocaust" is correct.
When 'Holocaust' refers to the specific time in history when Germany murdered > 6M Jews, it is considered a proper name and should always be capitalized.
That being said, since it is a proper name, referring to a specific event in history, "What was the Holocaust" is the correct form.
Reference:
From The Diversity Style Guide:
Holocaust
Always capitalize when referring to the murder of 6 million Jews and others during World War II. Lowercase in other uses.
answered 4 hours ago
MrWonderful
989414
"What was the Holocaust" is correct.
When 'Holocaust' refers to the specific time in history when Germany murdered > 6M Jews, it is considered a proper name and should always be capitalized.
That being said, since it is a proper name, referring to a specific event in history, "What was the Holocaust" is the correct form.
Reference:
From The Diversity Style Guide:
Holocaust
Always capitalize when referring to the murder of 6 million Jews and others during World War II. Lowercase in other uses.
answered 4 hours ago
MrWonderful
989414
answered 4 hours ago
MrWonderful
989414
answered 4 hours ago
MrWonderful
989414
answered 4 hours ago
MrWonderful
989414
989414
5
The question wasn't about capitalization. It's about which tense should be used ("is" vs. "was"), aka backshifting.
– Laurel
4 hours ago
2
Of the examples given of this sense of the word "holocaust" in the Oxford English Dictionary, in only about half of them is the word capitalised as a proper noun. For example: 1972 F. Forsyth Odessa File 306 The mausoleum of Yad Vashem,..the shrine to six million of his fellow Jews who died in the holocaust
– WS2
3 hours ago
add a comment |
5
The question wasn't about capitalization. It's about which tense should be used ("is" vs. "was"), aka backshifting.
– Laurel
4 hours ago
2
Of the examples given of this sense of the word "holocaust" in the Oxford English Dictionary, in only about half of them is the word capitalised as a proper noun. For example: 1972 F. Forsyth Odessa File 306 The mausoleum of Yad Vashem,..the shrine to six million of his fellow Jews who died in the holocaust
– WS2
3 hours ago
5
5
The question wasn't about capitalization. It's about which tense should be used ("is" vs. "was"), aka backshifting.
– Laurel
4 hours ago
The question wasn't about capitalization. It's about which tense should be used ("is" vs. "was"), aka backshifting.
– Laurel
4 hours ago
2
2
Of the examples given of this sense of the word "holocaust" in the Oxford English Dictionary, in only about half of them is the word capitalised as a proper noun. For example: 1972 F. Forsyth Odessa File 306 The mausoleum of Yad Vashem,..the shrine to six million of his fellow Jews who died in the holocaust
– WS2
3 hours ago
Of the examples given of this sense of the word "holocaust" in the Oxford English Dictionary, in only about half of them is the word capitalised as a proper noun. For example: 1972 F. Forsyth Odessa File 306 The mausoleum of Yad Vashem,..the shrine to six million of his fellow Jews who died in the holocaust
– WS2
3 hours ago
add a comment |
Edith Annabel is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Edith Annabel is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Edith Annabel is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Edith Annabel is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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1
Both are grammatically correct but "was" is semantically better. Either way, how is your Question not about your homework and even then, what did your dictionaries and search engines leave unclear?
– Robbie Goodwin
3 hours ago
'What is the Holocaust ?' asks what does the word mean. 'What was the Holocaust ?' asks for details about the historical events surrounding its occurrence.
– Nigel J
3 mins ago